National Urban League: Wealth Gap Between Blacks and Whites Widens

“In 1963, more than a quarter-million people came together in Washington, DC for The Great March for Jobs and Freedom, a watershed moment in black history. As we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of this event and reflect on the progress we’ve made toward economic equality, we are faced with the sobering truth that—while much has been achieved—so much more needs to be done.” – Marc H. Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League

For Marc Morial, one of the most pressing issues facing African Americans in 2013 is the widening wealth gap between blacks and whites.

“These conditions have not changed,” Morial said in an interview with BlackAmericaWeb.com.

On Wednesday, Morial will release the National Urban League’s annual State of Black America report, “Redeem the Dream,” which will outline in detail the economic challenges confronting black Americans 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s historic March on Washington.

While Morial said there are more black high school graduates than 50 years ago, and less black people living in poverty than in 1963, the wealth gap between blacks and whites remains a critical problem in the fight for economic parity.

“In this report,” Morial said, “we also offer solutions.”

The solutions include a five-year initiative to expand job training programs, lobbying Congress to enact social justice legislation, and working closer with the NAACP, black pastors, and Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network to help improve the quality of life for black people.

“We’re working with this generation’s civil rights leaders to inspire and empower the black community,” Morial said. “We’re not sitting on the sidelines.”